In relation to the killing of well-known political analyst Ibrahim Khalil Danshagamu, who was allegedly attacked with sharp items at his home in Gaida Quarters, Kumbotso Local Government Area, the Kano State Police Command has detained two suspects.
On behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, the command revealed this in a statement released on Wednesday by its Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa.
The statement claims that the event happened on Monday at around 11:30 p.m. after the command received a distress call from the Gaida Vigilante Group Commander informing them that unidentified thugs had broken into the deceased’s home and attacked him.
According to the statement, “Kumbotso Police Division officers quickly arrived at the scene and took the victim to Murtala Mohammed Specialists Hospital, Kano, where a doctor confirmed his death upon arrival.”
Opposition politicians and human rights activists had already denounced the development and demanded that the circumstances surrounding the commentator’s death be looked into straight away.
Danshagamu’s body was discovered in a pool of blood at his residence, according to a post made on X on Wednesday by former Kano State governor and opposition leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Kwankwaso called the murder a “horrific attack” and called on the Kano State Government to form an investigating committee to look into the matter and prosecute the perpetrators.
Amnesty International Nigeria emphasized that outspoken people and critics should be safeguarded in a democracy, denounced the assassination, and demanded a thorough investigation.
According to the organization, “outspoken people or critics are accommodated, listened to, not killed in a democracy.”
Husaini Mai Riga, the Nigeria Democratic Congress Chairman for Kano State, also called the murder “deeply disturbing and unacceptable,” claiming it was a grave threat to public safety, journalistic freedom, and democratic ideals in the state.
The statement further stated that the Kumbotso Divisional Police Officer, working with tactical units of the command and community stakeholders, carried out an intelligence-driven operation that resulted in the arrest of the two offenders.
“The suspects are being questioned while in detention. According to the statement, the Command has stepped up its efforts to capture anyone else who might be involved in the crime.
It further stated that while forensic investigations were underway to determine the facts and motivation behind the attack, statements were being collected from pertinent individuals.
Concerned by the tragedy and sympathetic to the deceased’s family, the commissioner of police reassured the locals that the command would investigate the matter logically.
“The Kano State Police Command’s mission to safeguard people and property shall not be compromised. “We promise the good people of Kano that justice will be pursued to its logical conclusion,” Bakori said.
The command praised the Gaida Vigilante Group for quickly alerting the police, stating that the incident showed how crucial community policing and collaboration are to deterring crime.
Additionally, the police advised locals to maintain their vigilance and to use the command’s emergency lines or the closest police station to offer reliable information.
According to Kiyawa, “the investigation into the incident is ongoing, and the suspects will be charged to court upon its conclusion.”
To uphold law and order and stop any breakdown of peace, more patrols and intelligence-gathering operations have been placed in Gaida and surrounding areas.
